Retractable Fabric Cover for Rectangular Containers

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a quickly deployable fabric cover over rectangular containers to protect contents from stationary or mobile activities. Operated by a single person to secure or unsecure the cover and to cover or uncover the container minimizes time and energy to protect container contents from inclement weather events or transportation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Provisional Patent Number 123456789, dated Jan. 12, 2017

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSERED RESEARCH

Not Applicable.

SEQUENCE LISTING

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With advances in environmental regulation, encapsulation of deleterious materials from storm water, fresh water streams and rivers, and ocean waters. A primary source of these materials are construction debris, recycled materials, and other wastes.

A typical cycle can be broken into three steps, collection, transportation, and delivery. Collection is typically a single source, i.e. a construction site. In this example, a contractor has requested a container during the demolition phase of a project. Materials collected are deposited into a single bin over a period of days. Overnight protection is needed both for security and weather protection. After the collection is completed transportation is required to either a sorting facility for material recycling or disposal. Duration of transportation can be a few minutes or a few hours.

Contents protection during periods of inclement weather is now required. A stationary bin must be kept covered when not being filled. This prevents rain water from entering and soaking into the deleterious material which will leach ouch of the bin with contaminants to work its way into storm water and eventually entering the sea.

Transportation provides another dynamic to the separation of storm water and deleterious material as movement along a roadway now introduces horizontal wind-driven storm water. This force is variable and dependent upon speed and weather conditions.

Prior art has numerous apparatuses for covering a rectangular bin but most are complex in either in operation or mechanics. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,109 uses a fabric cover but the mechanics to use require an exposed cable on both sides of the container as well as the entire length. This exposes the mechanics to operate to outside influences such as weather or physical abuse through use. Potential for damage is high. U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,713 provides for the cover to be pulled over the bin but no provisions are made to secure the cover. This loose attachment does not prevent inclement weather from getting to materials in the container. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,429,408, 5,938,270, 6,139,085, 6,142,554, and 6,481,779 provide for a more secured covering of container contents at the expense of complexity. A cable system is used to deploy and retract the container cover. This complexity introduces a greater chance of mechanical failure through wear or outside influences. U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,664 although similar in operation does not provide for a rigid support of the cover thereby allowing partially loaded materials to be covered during periods of inactivity, i.e. loading. It is intended to be deployed during transportation of a full container with loaded material used to support the cover. This lack of support allows rainwater to collect on top of the cover with no provisions for drainage. Further, the identified rollup apparatus indicates the use of a spring motor storage roller. U.S. Pat. No. 8,375,643 uses a storage roller for deployment over the ground.

As stated above, prior art devices do not solve the problems associated with the protection of rectangular container contents from day-to-day loading or transportation. What is needed is a system that is mechanically and operationally simple that can prevent rainwater from intermixing with container contents either through multiple days of loading or transportation, provide a higher level of security from content tampering. A system that can be economically manufactured and easily repaired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The container cover deployment apparatus for rectangular containers solves the problems and provides the benefits identified above. That is to say, the present invention is a system to securely provide protection for container contents during periods of inclement weather during days of loading and during transportation of container contents. The system is easily deployed, secured, and retracted with minimal effort and is secure from weather events and transportation.

In a primary embodiment of the present invention, the container cover deployment apparatus consist of four elements, drive winch, storage roller, cover, and cover anchorage. The drive winch has an appropriate gear ration that makes the cover retraction process minimally physical. This winch drives the storage roller through a chain drive connection with the storage roller. The storage roller has the cover, in a rolled position ready to be deployed. The cover with integral battens protects container contents while the anchor points secure the deployed cover. This apparatus can be used as a retrofit covering apparatus to an existing container with modification or a new container. Containers can hold any dry material from construction debris to agricultural products.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 Overall view of the cover in a partially deployed condition.

FIG. 2 Overall view of the cover in a fully deployed condition.

FIG. 3 Overall view of the cover fully retracted.

FIG. 4 Overall view of the cover fully retracted.

FIG. 5 Overall view of the complete invention in a fully retracted condition without rectangular container.

FIG. 6 Overall view of the complete invention in a fully retracted condition without rectangular container.

FIG. 7 View of the winch and roller assembly with cover in a fully deployed condition.

FIG. 8 Side view of the winch and roller assembly.

FIG. 9 End view of the winch and roller assembly.

FIG. 10 View of the cover anchorage in a fully deployed condition.

FIG. 11 End view of the cover anchorage in a fully deployed condition.

FIG. 12 Side view of the cover anchorage in a fully deployed condition.

FIG. 13 Exploded winch assembly of the drive chain and tension elements.

FIG. 14 Exploded winch assembly of the chain drive sprocket.

FIG. 15 Exploded winch assembly of the handle and sprocket for the chain drive sprocket.

FIG. 16 Exploded winch assembly of the sprocket pawl.

FIG. 17 Exploded overall roller assembly.

FIG. 18 View of the roller assembly drive chain.

FIG. 19 View of the roller assembly end.

FIG. 20 Overall plan of a fabric cover.

FIG. 21 Retrofit wall section.

FIG. 22 Cover anchor hook element.

FIG. 23 Cover to roller connection.

FIG. 24 Cover to pull rope connection.

FIG. 25 Cover pull bar end detail.

FIG. 26 Cover batten pocket detail.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

Container—000

001 Container

010 Extension Ribs

011 Extension Container Wall

012 Sloped Wall Cap

013 Extension Base

Winch Assembly—100

101 Winch Assembly Bracket

102 Tension Arm Base

103 Cut Washers

104 Tension Base Anchorage Bolts

105 Tension Arm

106 Tension Arm Washer

107 Tension Arm Bolt

108 Drive Chain Tension Sprocket

109 Drive Chain Tension Sprocket Bolt

110 Winch Drive Shaft

111 Winch Drive Shaft Roller Bearing

112 Winch Drive Sprocket

113 Winch Drive Shaft Spacer

114 Drive Chain Sprocket

115 Winch Drive Shaft Roller Bearing

116 Winch Drive Shaft Washer

117 Winch Drive Shaft King Nut

118 Winch Drive Shaft King Nut Cotter Pin

119 Drive Shaft King Nut Cotter Pin

120 Drive Shaft King Nut

121 Drive Shaft Washer

122 Crank Gear Roller Bearing

123 Crank Gear Spacer—Small

124 Crank Gear

125 Crank Gear Spacer—Large

126 Crank Gear Roller Bearing

127 Crank Gear Washer

128 Crank Gear Drive Shaft

140 Detachable Winch Handle Arm

141 Detachable Winch Handle Washer

142 Detachable Winch Handle

143 Detachable Winch Handle Bolt

150 Pawl Bolt

151 Pawl

152 Pawl Spacer

153 Pawl Spring

160 Chain Cover

161 Drive Chain

162 Winch Cover

Storage Roller Assembly—200

201 Storage Roller End Plate—Left

202 Storage Roller Cover Anchor Bar—Top

203 Storage Roller Cover Anchor Bar—Bottom

204 Storage Roller Cover Anchor Screw

205 Storage Roller Cover Screw

206 Storage Roller End Plate—Right

220 Storage Roller Take-up Tube

221 Storage Roller Connecting Tube

222 Storage Roller Axle End—Left

223 Storage Roller Axle End—Right

224 Storage Roller Set Screw

225 Storage Roller Set Screw Lock Washer

230 Storage Roller Cover End Plate—Left

231 Storage Roller Cover End Plate Roll Pin

232 Storage Roller Drive Sprocket

233 Storage Roller Drive Sprocket Roll Pin

234 Storage Roller Washer

235 Storage Roller Drive Bearing

236 Storage Roller Axle Washer

237 Storage Roller Axle Bolt

238 Storage Roller Cover End Plate—Right

239 Storage Roller Cover

Cover—300

301 Fabric Cover

302 Metal Battens

303 Rope Pocket

304 Batten Pocket

305 Grommets

306 Anchor Tubing

310 Extruded Aluminum Pull Tube

311 Roll Pin

312 Plastic Sleeve

313 Plastic Plug

314 Metal Guide Plate

315 Washer

316 Bolt

317 Pull Rope

318 Side Flap Anchor Rope

Anchorage—400

401 Tarp Pull-Bar Anchorage

402 Pull-Bar Cleat

403 Side Flap Anchor

404 Winch Handle Holder

405 Side Flap Cleat

406 Cam Cleat With Integral Fairlead

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

There are two assemblies connected by a drive chain 161 that allows the fabric cover 301 to be pulled into a container-covered position or rolled on a take-up roller 220 to uncover the container. First assembly is a roller mechanism FIGS. 7, 8, & 9 that is located at an end and the second, is the cranking assembly FIGS. 7, 8, & 9 that rotates the roller assembly through a drive chain with a geared drive located at the same end as the roller assembly. In the event of no doors entire assembly may be located at either end of the container.

The roller assembly FIG. 17 consists of a metal tube 220 with an integral groove. This groove accepts the edge of a cover 301 with an oversized cover edge FIG. 23 which slides from a side and centered on the tube securing the cover to the tube. The cover consists of a fabric that has batten pockets 304 with solid rods 302 parallel to the roller tube 220 that provide the fabric cover rigidity on top of the container. Roller tube 220 is secured to a square bearing shaft assembly 221, 222, 223 that is held in place at each end by 230 and 238. One end is secured to a support plate 201 and the opposite end is also secured to a support plate 206 with an attached sprocket 232. This sprocket 232 provides torsional control derived by a drive chain 161 attached to the winch assembly.

Winch assembly FIG. 7 consists of a drive chain tensioner assembly FIGS. 13, 14, 15, & 16 and rotational gearing 112 and 113 that allows mechanical cranking to move the gears. The drive chain tensioner 105 removes needed slack from the chain. Needed slack is to allow removal of the drive chain 105 for maintenance and/or repairs. Drive chain is engaged on a large diameter sprocket 112 and has a smaller sprocket 113 attached with engages a small drive gear 124. The drive gear 112 is rotated through a shaft 110 and terminates outside of a mounting bracket. A hand-crank handle is then attached 128 rotating the shaft. Directional rotation is provided by a sprocket pawl 151 when engaged only allows one way rotation. Releasing the pawl 151 will allow bi-directional rotation of the drive gear. This allows the free rotation of the roller tube 220 and permits the cover to be pulled to cover the container. The cover 301 is pulled to the anchor points 401 located at the opposite end of the container.

Additional side walls are fabricated to provide slope for drainage and to accommodate variations to be encountered with the various containers commercially available.

This system arrangement allows an infinite adjustment for covering any size of container, container rim at any angle, and with and without doors. Assembly width is variable and is dependent upon container size and is only limited by legal considerations. Assembly length is variable and is dependent upon container size and is only limited by legal considerations. When doors are present, assembly is located at the opposite end. 

I claim: 1) A rectangular container covering apparatus in a primary embodiment of the present invention, the container cover deployment and retraction apparatus for all rectangular containers consist of three elements: hand crank drive with gears and sprocket, impervious weather protection fabric cover, metal storage hood assembly with galvanized storage roller tube attached to a chain which connects to the hand crank. 2) The winch connects to the storage roller tube by a chain drive. The fabric cover wraps around the storage roller tube which is housed in the metal storage hood assembly. 3) The hand crank attaches to a chain that has an appropriate gear ratio that makes the fabric cover deployment and retraction process physically minimal. 4) The fabric cover with integral battens protects container contents while the anchor points secure the deployed fabric cover. 5) (canceled) 6) (canceled) 7) (canceled) 8) (canceled) 9) (canceled) 10) (canceled) 11-12) (canceled) 